TONMO Supporter

Did they win the race in the end ..... or was this big bad seriously evil and positively nasty squid that lives at 500 metres depth, attains lengths of 100 feet at least, weights of 2 tons, eats submersibles, has eyes the size of tractor tires, beaks that cut titanium, responsible for them losing?

TONMO Supporter

I've checked the official JVT website and there is no photo of this elusive beast. You would have thought the crew would have taken a photo given the sheer improbability of such an encounter. Every day is documented in photos after all.

Could a yacht really travelling at 22 knots really have been seized without ripping the arms from the head (not sure what forces are required to sever a limb)?

Cuttlefish

I do not know if they won the race but.... they are sure WINNERS in my book. NOT!!!!!!!!!! lol lol
So where is this bloody picture. They must have taken a picture. :x Whatever. What ever drugs they were taking well, I want some to get me trough school. lol lol

Hatchling

Ahhhhhhhh! I have just a few questions??????
How is this giant squid so alive at this shallow a depth?????????
Do you know what kind of money they could of gotten for such a rare picture.................fools what a missed opportunity.
I would like to believe, but it seems a little suspicious, that this sighting should just coincide with the name of this event Perhaps they were just enthralled with the whole image and the ocean got the best of their imaginations.
Or perhaps they have been taking the same drug as those who clone humans We shall await more news (if it comes)???????

Larger Pacific Striped Octopus

Well, the giant squid for president sounds like a cool idea, but electing an invertebrate to public office seems rather... redundant. :)

Anyway, I have to admit I hate sensationalist wildlife stuff like this. Now every two-bit sociopath is going to go Buffy the Cephalopod Slayer on everything with tentacles. Its the same with shark attacks; one shark even looks at us strangely and we start chondricthyan genocide. For crying out loud! :x

Not that I'm bitter or anything... I have some deep-seated conservation issues. :P

Oh, and Steve? How about the eight-ton land squid again? Or maybe...

Maybe it was C T H U L U!!! That's right! Like I said before; Ctuhulu calls... collect. He's tired of French Squid dishes and planned to do a deep-sea version of "Iron Chef" with the crew as the dish!

Vampyroteuthis

Sigh...if only this HAD been a real encounter...and if only they had a video camera.

I suppose this isn't a practical notion...but still. Anything to see video of these guys. Of course, I'd love the local aquarium to have a specimen, but reality tells me to be quiet and settle for the one-on-one interview Steve is going to provide us next year!

Larger Pacific Striped Octopus

Fascinating.... It appears that this is one of those rare sightings of the elusive Hempiteuthis ganjanensis, a squid whose length can vary from 150 to 2,500 ft., depending upon how recently the viewer has attended a Reggae concert or inhaled at a Cheech & Chong movie.

I have not heard of these viewers before, but I am certain that if they proceed with their research in the same manner, they will eventually be able to add the Yeti, Nessie, Mothman, El Chupacabra, the Ogopogo, and Elvis to their list of sightings.

TONMO Supporter

The following message is doing the rounds right now (thanks Phil), so I've pasted it here.

Indeed, as expected, it was a hoax, but I'm afraid we'll hear the story for years to come - it received so much press.
...........

Apparently the bare facts are, that the racing trimaran 'Geronimo'
got something snagged on its rudder, and they had to come to
a full stop to cut it loose and make repairs. Tongue-in-cheek,
they radioed their base-station to report that a Giant Squid had
attached itself to the boat and was hanging on for dear life.
They kept up the premise for several hours, but then listed the
incident in their official log simply as: stopped to repair rudder.http://www.broadband-my-ass.com/strips/081602-14552.jpg

It now seems clear the whole thing was a big 'Fish Tale'. ...

The navigation on their grandsrecords.com site is a little wacky,
but the English-language news entry for 13-JAN reads:
"...a giant cephalopod became tangled up around the rudder blade.
It took over an hour before the creature released its grip..."
But I think they were speaking metaphorically. They're now
declining to carry the gag any futher than it's already gone.http://www.lyricsdomain.com/lyrics/24076/

It was their base station / support center that called the media.

A photo posted later shows them dead in the water, mucking around
with a large net or sail lying in the water. Might be their 'Squid':